THE STORY TELLERS... (Unknown Author)

We are the chosen. My feelings are that in each family there is one who seems called
to find the ancestors; to put flesh on their bones and make them live again; to tell
the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. To me, doing
genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts, but instead, breathing life into all who
have gone before.

We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as
it were, by our genes.

Those who have gone before cry out to us... Tell our story. So we do. In finding
them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now? I have lost
count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family? You
would be proud of us. How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow
there was love there for me? I cannot say.

I go beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I
do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference
and saying I can't let this happen.

The bones here are bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing
something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish.
How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and
losses, their never giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their
family.

It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a
deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us that we might be born
who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing
each fact of their existence because we are them and they are us. So, as a scribe
called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next
generation to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family story
tellers.

That is why I do my family genealogy and that is what calls those young and old to
step up and put flesh on their bones.

THE STORY TELLERS... (Unknown Author)

We are the chosen. My feelings are that in each family there is one who seems called
to find the ancestors; to put flesh on their bones and make them live again; to tell
the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. To me, doing
genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts, but instead, breathing life into all who
have gone before.

We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as
it were, by our genes.

Those who have gone before cry out to us... Tell our story. So we do. In finding
them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now? I have lost
count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family? You
would be proud of us. How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow
there was love there for me? I cannot say.

I go beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I
do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference
and saying I can't let this happen.

The bones here are bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing
something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish.
How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and
losses, their never giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their
family.

It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a
deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us that we might be born
who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing
each fact of their existence because we are them and they are us. So, as a scribe
called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next
generation to answer the call and take their place in the long line of family story
tellers.

That is why I do my family genealogy and that is what calls those young and old to
step up and put flesh on their bones.